ABSTRACT
Prasetya, Tarsisius Joni W. (2008). The Preservation of Chinese Beliefs by a Chinese-American in Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyzes Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. One of the significant topics in the novel is the preservation of Chinese Beliefs in America. Chinese Beliefs are parts of Chinese Culture which are preserved by Chinese-American. Having great motivation, they preserve Chinese Beliefs in some ways continuously.
The aim of the study is to answer the two questions in the problem formulation. The first is the way how Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserves Chinese Beliefs. The second is what motivates Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American to preserve Chinese Beliefs.
The thesis employed the library research. There were two kinds of sources used in this study, primary and secondary sources. The primary source was obtained from the novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife. The secondary sources were gained from theory of the critical approach by Rohrberger and Wood, theory of motivation known as the Need Theory by Maslow, and theory of Chinese Beliefs by Hook. The writer applied two kinds of critical approaches. The writer chose two different approaches, since there were two different aspects of questions. The sociocultural-historical approach was the approach for the first question related to the culture, whereas the psychological approach was the approach for the second question related to one’s motivation.
There are two findings based on the analysis. The first finding states that Winnie Louie applies three major ways of preserving Chinese Beliefs. She begins with passing down the understandings on Chinese Beliefs to the descendants. It is the symbol of identity and the ways of respecting the ancestors. She continues transferring its implementations to the descendants by worshiping the Kitchen God’s Wife and naming the places. Then, she strengthens the family relationship to unite them in the community of preserving Chinese Beliefs in togetherness.
The second finding reveals Winnie Louie’s motivation in preserving Chinese Beliefs. There are some motivations directed by seven kinds of needs. The physiological needs are the basic motivation. Luck and prosperity motivates her to preserve Chinese Beliefs. Being the member of a minority group, who has the same beliefs, she feels secure in the community fulfilling her safety needs. Maintaining the Kitchen God’s blessing for the descendants and implementing her belongingness of Chinese Beliefs are the belongingness and love needs. Preserving Chinese Beliefs is also the expression of her proud of being a Chinese-American who receives Chinese Beliefs as heritages and life guidelines. Winnie Louie’s thinking capacity motivates her to understand and explore Chinese Beliefs, whereas the harmony ofYinandYangfulfills her aesthetic needs. Finally, the self-actualization need in term of expressing her spirituality and respecting Chinese Beliefs as the identity answers her question about her existence in America which is applied by preserving Chinese Beliefs.
ABSTRAK
Prasetya, Tarsisius Joni W. (2008). The Preservation of Chinese Beliefs by a Chinese-American in Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas tentang sebuah novel karya Amy Tan, The Kitchen God’s Wife. Salah satu topik yang penting adalah pelestarian kepercayaan-kepercayaan China di Amerika. Kepercayaan-kepercayaan-kepercayaan China merupakan bagian dari kebudayaan China yang dilestarikan oleh orang Amerika keturunan China. Dengan motivasi yang besar, mereka melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China dalam beberapa cara secara berkelanjutan.
Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah menjawab dua pertanyaan dalam rumusan masalah, yang pertama bagaimana cara Winnie Louie sebagai orang Amerika keturunan China melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China, sedangkan yang kedua, apa yang memotivasi Winnie Louie untuk melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut.
Studi ini menggunakan studi pustaka. Ada 2 macam sumber yang digunakan yakni sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utama didapat dari novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife sedangkan sumber kedua didapat dari beberapa teori, diantaranya; pendekatan kritik sastra oleh Rohrberger dan Wood, teori motivasi lebih dikenal dengan teori kebutuhan oleh Maslow, dan teori mengenai kepercayaan-kepercayaan China oleh Hook. Penulis memilih dua macam pendekatan yang digunakan untuk dua aspek yang berbeda. Pendekatan sejarah dan budaya masyarakat untuk menjawab pertayaan pertama tentang budaya, sedangkan pendekatan psikologi digunakan untuk menjawab pertayaan kedua mengenai motivasi seseorang.
Ada 2 hasil analisa berdasarkan analisis yang dilakukan. Hasil analisa pertama menunjukkan bahwa Winnie Louie menggunakan tiga cara pokok dalam melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China. Bermula dengan memberikan pemahaman tentang kepercayaan-kepercayaan China sebagai simbol identitas dan cara untuk menghormati leluhur, berlanjut dengan mewariskan penerapannya pada keturunan. Penerapan kepercayaan tersebut diterapkan dengan menghormati Istri Dewa Dapur dan memberi nama pada tempat-tempat mereka. Selanjutnya, dia mempererat hubungan kekeluargaan, untuk menyatukan mereka dalam komunitas yang melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China dalam kebersamaan.
Hasil analisa kedua menunjukkan motivasi Winnie Louie dalam melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China. Ada beberapa motivasi didorong oleh tujuh macam kebutuhan. Kebutuhan badaniah merupakan kebutuhan dasar. Keberuntungan dan kemakmuran memotivasi dia untuk melestarikan kepercayaan – kepercayaan tersebut. Sebagai anggota dari kelompok minoritas, sebuah komunitas telah memenuhi kebutuhannya akan keamanan.
Menjaga adanya berkat dari Dewa Dapur untuk keturunan dan menerapkan rasa memilikinya pada kepercayaan-kepercayaan China merupakan bagian dari kebutuhannya akan rasa memiliki dan mengasihi. Melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China juga merupakan ekspresi rasa bangga sebagai seorang
Amerika keturunan China yang menerima kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut sebagai warisan dan panduan hidup. Kemampuan berpikir yang dimiliki Winnie Louie memotivasi dirinya untuk mengerti dan mempelajari lebih lanjut tentang kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut, sedangkan harmoni antara Yin dan Yang memenuhi kebutuhannya akan keindahan dalam harmoni hidup. Pada akhirnya, kebutuhan akan aktualisasi diri diterapkan pada pengekspresian kehidupan rohani dan penghormatan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China, sebagai identitas yang menjawab pertanyaan mengenai keberadaannya di Amerika, dan diwujud-nyatakan dengan melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China.
THE PRESERVATION OF CHINESE BELIEFS BY A CHINESE – AMERICAN
IN AMY TAN’S THE KITCHEN GOD’S WIFE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W Student Number: 041214038
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
THE PRESERVATION OF CHINESE BELIEFS BY A CHINESE – AMERICAN
IN AMY TAN’S THE KITCHEN GOD’S WIFE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W Student Number: 041214038
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
2008
ASarjana PendidikanThesis on
THE PRESERVATION OF CHINESE BELIEFS BY A CHINESE – AMERICAN
IN AMY TAN’S THE KITCHEN GOD’S WIFE
Prepared and Presented by
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W
Student Number: 041214038
Approved by:
Date
Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum. 29 August 2008
Sponsor
THE PRESERVATION OF CHINESE BELIEFS BY A CHINESE – AMERICAN
IN AMY TAN’S THE KITCHEN GOD’S WIFE
By
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W
Student Number: 041214038
Defended before the Board of Examiners On 22 September 2008
and Declared Acceptable
Board of Examiners
Chairperson : A. Hardi Prasetyo, S.Pd., M.A. ______________
Secretary : Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd. ______________
Member : Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum. ______________
Member : Dr. A. Herujiyanto, M.A. ______________
Member : Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A. ______________
Yogyakarta, 22 September 2008
Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Sanata Dharma University
Dean,
Drs. Tarsisius Sarkim, M.Ed., Ph.D.
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that the thesis, which I wrote, does not contain the works or
parts of the works of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 29 August 2008
The Writer,
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W
Student Number: 041214038
Dao ren shan, ji shi shan
Ren zhi zhi, yu si mian
Praising the good values is honorable behavior
People being praised will be more motivated
(Anonymous)Let us create the harmony of life by
respecting others, the nature, and God. God bless us with luck and prosperity.
Amen.
Dedicated with love and gratitude to: My Lord Jesus, Mother Mary, and St. Tarcicius My beloved family and my great lecturers My friends s
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am sure that I would not have been able to write this thesis and to finish
it without the help and the support of others. First of all, I would like to convey
my greatest gratitude to my Lord,Jesus ChristandMother Mary, that due Their blessing, I could finally finish writing this thesis. Their blessing has been the
greatest power to cope with my hard times.
I would like to sincerely express my deepest gratitude to my sponsor,
Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., who had supported me and given me great assistance. Thank you very much for her patience, advice, and beneficial
suggestions for my thesis. May God bless her and her family with great happiness.
My gratitude would also go to my lecturers in Sanata Dharma University who shared their precious knowledge. I would like to express my great gratitude to
Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M.Hum., M.A., who had shared her knowledge in teaching and Dr. A. Herujiyanto, M.A.,who had helped me to gain the pleasure of reading a novel. I will always do my best and learn more to be a better teacher.
I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my beloved father, Am. Suwardono and my wonderfull mother, Alphonsa Suharyanti for their endless love, patience, and prayer. The same appreciation also goes to my brother and my
sister,HariandRatri, for their great affection.
I am greatly indebted to Mr. Tjia Tjek Su from Tjen Ling Kiong Miao and my friends from Hok An Kiong Miao, who shared their knowledge on
Chinese Beliefs and all its aspects.
My gratitude also goes to my best friends; Poli, Wida, Anas, Sinta, Ajeng, Heni, Titis, Santi, Ponco, Sigit, Edi, and Dito for the joke that they shared with me, I will never forget them all. Thank you for Dias, Patrice, and Fajar, who become my thesis reader. My gratitude also goes to my friends in Cantus Firmus Choir, my beloved kids in Sunday school,Mr. Anton Jemadi, and the Karawitan Community in Boro.
Finally, I thank all of 2004 PBI students with whom I have struggled to
gain the knowledge and my friends whose names I cannot mention one by one.
May God bless them for their kindness and contributions that they had
shared in my life.
Tarsisius Joni Prasetya W
TABLE ON CONTENTS 1.1 Background of Study ... 1
1.2 Problem Formulation ... 6
1.3 Objectives of the Study ... 6
1.4 Benefits of the Study... 6
1.5 Definition of Terms... 7
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Theory of Critical Approach to Literature ... 10
2.1.1 The Sociocultural-Historical Approach to literature... 13
2.1.2 The Psychological Approach to Literature ... 14
2.2 Theory of Motivation ... 14
2.3 Chinese Beliefs …... 20
2.3.1 Cosmology ... 20
2.3.2 Divination... 21
2.3.3 Ancestor Worship... 23
2.4. Chinese-American in United States ... 24
2.5 Theoretical Framework ... 25
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Subject Matter ... 28
3.2 Approach ... 30
3.3 Research Procedures ... 31
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS 4.1 Winnie Louie’s Ways of Preserving Chinese Beliefs ... 33
4.1.1 Passing Down the Understandings on Chinese Beliefs to the Descendants... 35
4.1.1.1 Chinese Beliefs are the Symbol of Identity... 35
4.1.1.2 Chinese Beliefs are the Ways of Respecting the Ancestors... 36
4.1.1.3 Chinese Beliefs Bring about the Harmony ofYin andYang... 38
4.1.2 Transferring Chinese Beliefs to the Descendants ... 40
4.1.2.1 Worshiping the Kitchen God’s Wife ... 41
4.1.2.2 Naming their Places Based on Chinese Beliefs’ Concepts ... 44
4.1.3 Strengthening her Family Relationship... 45
4.1.3.1 Having some Annual Meetings with other Families ... 46
4.1.3.2 Having a Shop that Provides Chinese Beliefs’ Equipments ... 48
4.1.3.3 Celebrating their Chinese New Year Celebration. 50 4.2 Winnie Louie’s Motivation as a Chinese-American in Preserving Chinese Beliefs... 52
4.2.1 The Self-Actualization Need of Winnie Louie... 53
4.2.1.1 Showing the Chinese Identity ... 53
4.2.1.2 Expressing her Spirituality ... 55
4.2.2 The Aesthetic Need of Winnie Louie... 56
4.2.2.1 Maintaining the Harmony ofYinandYang... 58
4.2.2.2 The Continuity of Blessing ... 59
4.2.3 The Cognitive Need of Winnie Louie... 61
4.2.3.1 Understanding the Concept of Chinese Beliefs .... 62
4.2.3.2 Exploring the Implementation of Chinese Beliefs 63 4.2.4 The Self Esteem of Winnie Louie... 65
4.2.4.1 Showing off the Knowledge of Chinese Beliefs ... 65
4.2.4.2 Expressing her Pride as Chinese-American ... 67
4.2.5 The Belongingness and Love Need of Winnie Louie ... 69
4.2.5.1 The Implementation of her Belongingness to Chinese Beliefs ... 69
4.2.5.2 Maintaining the Kitchen God’s Blessing for her Descendants ... 71
4.2.6 The Safety Need of Winnie Louie ... 73
4.2.6.1 Maintaining the Minority of Chinese-Americans . 73 4.2.6.2 Feeling Secure in the Community... 74
4.2.7 The Physiological Need of Winnie Louie ... 76
4.2.7.1 Maintaining Winnie Louie’s Business ... 77
4.2.7.2 The Way of Surviving in America ... 79
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1 Conclusions ... 81
5.2 Suggestions ... 85
5.2.1 Suggestions for the Future Researchers ... 85
5.2.2 Suggestions for English Teachers ... 86
BIBLIOGRAPHY... 89
APPENDICES... 92
Appendix 1 Lesson Plan for Teaching Intensive Reading II... 93
Appendix 2 Syllabus of Intensive Reading II... 97
Appendix 3 Teaching Material... 99
Appendix 5 The Biography of Amy Tan... 110 Appendix 6 The Pictures of Chinese-Americans’ Activities in
Chinatown, San Francisco... 112
ABSTRACT
Prasetya, Tarsisius Joni W. (2008). The Preservation of Chinese Beliefs by a Chinese-American in Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyzes Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. One of the significant topics in the novel is the preservation of Chinese Beliefs in America. Chinese Beliefs are parts of Chinese Culture which are preserved by Chinese-American. Having great motivation, they preserve Chinese Beliefs in some ways continuously.
The aim of the study is to answer the two questions in the problem formulation. The first is the way how Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserves Chinese Beliefs. The second is what motivates Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American to preserve Chinese Beliefs.
The thesis employed the library research. There were two kinds of sources used in this study, primary and secondary sources. The primary source was obtained from the novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife. The secondary sources were gained from theory of the critical approach by Rohrberger and Wood, theory of motivation known as the Need Theory by Maslow, and theory of Chinese Beliefs by Hook. The writer applied two kinds of critical approaches. The writer chose two different approaches, since there were two different aspects of questions. The sociocultural-historical approach was the approach for the first question related to the culture, whereas the psychological approach was the approach for the second question related to one’s motivation.
There are two findings based on the analysis. The first finding states that Winnie Louie applies three major ways of preserving Chinese Beliefs. She begins with passing down the understandings on Chinese Beliefs to the descendants. It is the symbol of identity and the ways of respecting the ancestors. She continues transferring its implementations to the descendants by worshiping the Kitchen God’s Wife and naming the places. Then, she strengthens the family relationship to unite them in the community of preserving Chinese Beliefs in togetherness.
The second finding reveals Winnie Louie’s motivation in preserving Chinese Beliefs. There are some motivations directed by seven kinds of needs. The physiological needs are the basic motivation. Luck and prosperity motivates her to preserve Chinese Beliefs. Being the member of a minority group, who has the same beliefs, she feels secure in the community fulfilling her safety needs. Maintaining the Kitchen God’s blessing for the descendants and implementing her belongingness of Chinese Beliefs are the belongingness and love needs. Preserving Chinese Beliefs is also the expression of her proud of being a Chinese-American who receives Chinese Beliefs as heritages and life guidelines. Winnie Louie’s thinking capacity motivates her to understand and explore Chinese Beliefs, whereas the harmony ofYinandYangfulfills her aesthetic needs. Finally, the self-actualization need in term of expressing her spirituality and respecting Chinese Beliefs as the identity answers her question about her existence in America which is applied by preserving Chinese Beliefs.
ABSTRAK
Prasetya, Tarsisius Joni W. (2008). The Preservation of Chinese Beliefs by a Chinese-American in Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas tentang sebuah novel karya Amy Tan, The Kitchen God’s Wife. Salah satu topik yang penting adalah pelestarian kepercayaan-kepercayaan China di Amerika. Kepercayaan-kepercayaan-kepercayaan China merupakan bagian dari kebudayaan China yang dilestarikan oleh orang Amerika keturunan China. Dengan motivasi yang besar, mereka melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China dalam beberapa cara secara berkelanjutan.
Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah menjawab dua pertanyaan dalam rumusan masalah, yang pertama bagaimana cara Winnie Louie sebagai orang Amerika keturunan China melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China, sedangkan yang kedua, apa yang memotivasi Winnie Louie untuk melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut.
Studi ini menggunakan studi pustaka. Ada 2 macam sumber yang digunakan yakni sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utama didapat dari novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife sedangkan sumber kedua didapat dari beberapa teori, diantaranya; pendekatan kritik sastra oleh Rohrberger dan Wood, teori motivasi lebih dikenal dengan teori kebutuhan oleh Maslow, dan teori mengenai kepercayaan-kepercayaan China oleh Hook. Penulis memilih dua macam pendekatan yang digunakan untuk dua aspek yang berbeda. Pendekatan sejarah dan budaya masyarakat untuk menjawab pertayaan pertama tentang budaya, sedangkan pendekatan psikologi digunakan untuk menjawab pertayaan kedua mengenai motivasi seseorang.
Ada 2 hasil analisa berdasarkan analisis yang dilakukan. Hasil analisa pertama menunjukkan bahwa Winnie Louie menggunakan tiga cara pokok dalam melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China. Bermula dengan memberikan pemahaman tentang kepercayaan-kepercayaan China sebagai simbol identitas dan cara untuk menghormati leluhur, berlanjut dengan mewariskan penerapannya pada keturunan. Penerapan kepercayaan tersebut diterapkan dengan menghormati Istri Dewa Dapur dan memberi nama pada tempat-tempat mereka. Selanjutnya, dia mempererat hubungan kekeluargaan, untuk menyatukan mereka dalam komunitas yang melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China dalam kebersamaan.
Hasil analisa kedua menunjukkan motivasi Winnie Louie dalam melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China. Ada beberapa motivasi didorong oleh tujuh macam kebutuhan. Kebutuhan badaniah merupakan kebutuhan dasar. Keberuntungan dan kemakmuran memotivasi dia untuk melestarikan kepercayaan – kepercayaan tersebut. Sebagai anggota dari kelompok minoritas, sebuah komunitas telah memenuhi kebutuhannya akan keamanan.
Menjaga adanya berkat dari Dewa Dapur untuk keturunan dan menerapkan rasa memilikinya pada kepercayaan-kepercayaan China merupakan bagian dari kebutuhannya akan rasa memiliki dan mengasihi. Melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China juga merupakan ekspresi rasa bangga sebagai seorang
Amerika keturunan China yang menerima kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut sebagai warisan dan panduan hidup. Kemampuan berpikir yang dimiliki Winnie Louie memotivasi dirinya untuk mengerti dan mempelajari lebih lanjut tentang kepercayaan-kepercayaan tersebut, sedangkan harmoni antara Yin dan Yang memenuhi kebutuhannya akan keindahan dalam harmoni hidup. Pada akhirnya, kebutuhan akan aktualisasi diri diterapkan pada pengekspresian kehidupan rohani dan penghormatan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China, sebagai identitas yang menjawab pertanyaan mengenai keberadaannya di Amerika, dan diwujud-nyatakan dengan melestarikan kepercayaan-kepercayaan China.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter deals with the background of the study, problem formulation,
the objectives of the study, the benefits of the study, and the definition of terms
used in this study. The background of the study describes the reasons why the
writer chooses the topic of the study and literary works as the study. The objective
of the study includes the writer aims of finding the answers to the questions stated
in the problem formulation. The writer formulates two questions that become the
focus discussed in this study. The next part, which is the benefits of the study,
contains some advantages from this study. The last part of this chapter gives the
description of some terms in order to avoid misconception in analyzing this study.
1.1 Background of the Study
Craig Storti in his book, Figuring Foreigners Out: A Practical Guide (7) defines that culture is the shared assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of
people, which result in characteristic behaviors. Culture consists of two essential
aspects; the invisible dimension (assumptions, value, and beliefs) and the visible
dimension (behavior). There are a lot of media that can be used as the
transformation tools and accelerate the culture transformation such as the internet,
television, and magazines. There are two mainstreams of culture based on the
regional aspects; western culture and eastern culture. Each culture has some
different characteristics.
Recently, the western culture has evolved and has been widespread in the
world. The western culture is gained and adapted more easily by people through
the media transformation and technology. Undeniably, the western culture starts
changing and shifting the eastern culture. It is a tragedy when our descendants
tend to learn western culture than their own culture. How they can transfer their
culture to their next generation if they do not know about their own culture
deeply.
The United State of America is a multicultural country with many ethnic
groups and races. Most of the citizens in the country are immigrants. They come
from many different countries. Although they come from different countries, races
and ethnics, they can live together. Their main purpose to come to America is to
get a better life in the country. Chinese is one of the ethnics that live in America.
Many Chinese and their generations have stayed for centuries in America. They
are called Chinese-American.
Nevertheless America is a multicultural country. American Culture is
categorized as Western Culture which takes a great influence in some aspects of
life including the human characteristics. Americans tend to be individualistic.
Self-reliance and independence are stressed and valued. Personal freedom is
highly desired. They believe that people can alter nature and determine their life,
not the destiny. They tend to be more concerned with material than spiritual
matters.
Chinese Culture, which is categorized as Eastern Culture based on the
the collectivist principles to live in the primary group. Family is the smallest unit
of survival. The survival and success of the group ensure the well – being of the
individual. They regard other’s needs and feeling. Harmony and interdependence
of group are stressed and valued. Tradition must be preserved in the beliefs, rituals
and customs. They believe in the destiny as the result of their attitude in life.
Therefore, spiritualism is very important to guide the people to the good destiny.
While the American Culture is widespread and influences other cultures,
the Chinese Culture can still exist. Some Chinese, who become the immigrants in
other countries, bring their culture. They can still preserve their culture even
though they live in America as Chinese-Americans.
Belief as one of the culture’s invisible dimensions should also be
preserved to support the preservation of Chinese Culture. Belief is a concept of a
way of life and work, which people feel obliged to follow for the sake of proving
their worth. It guides people to organize their life. Belief is applied in the visible
dimension (behavior). Belief that contains universal behavior is easier to be
preserved rather than particular behavior. When the behavior can be conducted for
every generation in the group of people, it becomes a tradition. Preserving the
Chinese Belief means preserving the Chinese Culture.
Hockett quoted in Byrne’s book, English Teaching Extracts (22) points out that literature is undisputedly a vital part of a nation’s culture. According to
the statement above, literature can be a solution in gaining to know the culture
along with learning the language. In literature, we can also perceive a portrait of
One of the literary works that can portrait the values of culture in life is
The Kitchen God’s Wife. This is a novel written by Amy Tan that wants to tell about a Chinese immigrant who lives in America, who brings her identity and
culture along her life. The novel was written in 1900s. It was the era of
pre-communism. The Communist party in China expanded their authority. The story
told that some Chinese had to go to the Formosa Island. They stayed under the
democratic authority that was led by Chiang Kai Sek. In 1949 the communist
party attacked the democratic authority. The Democratic could not stand against
the communist expansion. Finally, they had no choice and had to flee from the
communist party authority. It was stated in the Winnie Louie’s conversation
obviously.
Eh,Mrs. Chiang Kai Sek, your husband finally knows how to solve all our problems. So simple, get foreign help. Hey, Mr. Roosevelt, Mr.Chuchill, here is my begging bowl. (Amy Tan 334)
When the Communists came in 1949. He was too scared to run away, too scared to stay. He became so confused he walked with his own two feet all the way to the port at the north edge of the island, and there he sat down to think about his choices. (Amy Tan 72).
They had to go to the Formosa or Taiwan Island. Some of the Chinese
went to other democratic countries, one of them was America. There were many
Chinese immigrants who wanted to save their life from the communist. In that era,
the Chinese still struggled to get a better life in America as immigrants. They
lived in a community, called Chinatown. They built their business and kept their
relation among other Chinese immigrants. Winnie Louie had also to go to
life, Winnie Louie believed in Chinese traditions and beliefs. She used the
principles of Chinese Culture in deciding what she should do in her life.
My mother and Auntie Helen co-own Ding Ho flower Shop on the Ross Alley in Chinatown (Amy Tan 7).
She traces her finger down one, then the other. “Iye shiang ru yi”. The first word is “luck” this other is an other kind of luck, and these two mean’all that you wish.”All kinds of luck, all that you wish (Amy Tan 58).
Based on the novel, it was revealed obviously that Winnie Louie as a
Chinese-American could still preserve Chinese Beliefs as a part of Chinese
Culture in the States. The valuable things that can be observed are the ways of
how Winnie Louie preserves Chinese Beliefs as a Chinese-American. Having
finished analyzing the question about the ways of how Winnie Louie preserves
Chinese Beliefs, it can be used as a basis for analyzing the aims of this study to
find out what motivates Winnie Louie to preserve Chinese Culture as a Chinese
American.
As stated by Hockett quoted in Byrne’s book (22), we can learn the
aspects of life including culture from the portrait of life revealed in the literary
works. By conducting this study, we can learn and use this study to enrich our
knowledge of how Chinese-Americans preserve their culture. Without any doubt,
the globalization era is happened in this country. Our responsibility as the future
generations is to preserve our culture as identity and heritage in our life. This
study can also be used as a comparative study and guideline of our thought,
1.2 Problem Formulation
In analyzing Amy Tan’s novel, the writer focuses on Winnie Louie’s
motivation to preserve the Chinese Culture as a Chinese American. Therefore, the
writer formulates two problems of this study that are stated as follows:
1. How does Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserve the Chinese Beliefs?
2. What motivates Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American to preserve the Chinese
Beliefs?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Based on problem formulation stated above, the objectives of this study are:
1. To find out how Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserves the Chinese
Beliefs.
2. To find out what motivates Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserves
the Chinese Beliefs.
1.4 Benefits of the Study
The study is expected to be able to give some benefits for the readers,
students and researchers. The benefits of the study are formulated as follow:
1. For the readers
The analysis of this study will be beneficial for the readers in gaining a
better understanding related to the novel. It is also help the readers to enrich their
globalization era. Through the literary works, they can adapt the concepts relied
on the novel to be practiced in their real life.
2. For the students
The writer hopes that this study will also be useful for the students. Reading
this study, the students will gain a lot of information related to the way how the
major character preserves the Chinese Beliefs. It can help the students analyze
some extrinsic and intrinsic aspects of the novel.
3. For the researchers
This study will give an important contribution to the future research related
to sociocultural-historical and psychological approach. Hence, the researcher can
observe and analyze some aspects of the novel with applying
sociocultural-historical psychological approach. The writer hopes that this study will also
inspire other researchers to analyzing this remarkable novel.
1.5 Definition of Terms
In the last part of this chapter, I will explain some significant terms used in
this study. The definition of terms is aimed at avoiding misconception about this
study.
1. Preservation
2. Culture
Craig Storti in his book, Figuring Foreigners out: a Practical Guide (7), describes that culture is the shared assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of
people, which result in characteristic behaviors. Culture consists of two essential
aspects namely the invisible dimension (assumptions, value, and beliefs) and the
visible dimension (behavior). Understanding the relations between the two
dimensions is the key to preserving the culture. In this study, the writer focuses on
beliefs as one of the invisible dimension of culture.
3. Beliefs
According to Craig Storti (8) Beliefs are concepts of a way of life and
work which people feel obliged to follow for the sake of proving their worth. It
guides people to organize their life so that individual can be typed of person.
Belief is applied in the visible dimension (behavior). In this study, the writer
focuses on Chinese Beliefs.
4. Chinese Beliefs
Eastern countries including China apply traditions in their life. Traditions
have to be preserved in the beliefs, rituals, and customs. They believe in the
destiny is the result of their attitude in life. That is the main principle of Chinese
Beliefs. Therefore, spiritualism is very important to guide the people in the good
destiny (Storti 19). There are three main concepts of Chinese Beliefs namely
5. Chinese-American
Based on Microsoft Encarta 2004, Chinese-American is the term for Chinese immigrants who lived in America since 1848 until their descendants now.
The Chinese is one of the ethnics that live in America. Many Chinese and their
generations have stayed for centuries in America. According to America cencus,
there are about 2.4 million Americans lived in America. Many
Chinese-Americans lived in the ethnic community known as Chinatown. Some business
and tradition could be found in these Chinatown. The largest Chinatowns are in
San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.
6. Motivation
According to McConnel (259), motivation is defined in many ways. One
of them is a series of questions that you ask about why people think, feel, and
behave as they do. It stimulates one’s action. Motivation comes from human
needs and desires. In this study, the researcher analyzes what motivates Winnie
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of four parts. Those are the theory of critical
approach to literature, the theory of motivation, the theory of Chinese Beliefs, and
theoretical framework. The theory of critical approach to literature discusses the
psychological approach to literature and the sociocultural-historical approach to
literature. Theory of motivation explains the psychological aspects of human
related to the character’s motivation in the novel. After that the writer employs the
theory of Chinese Beliefs that are obeyed by the Chinese-American. In this study,
the writer also provides some data on Chinese-American in United States. The last
is the theoretical framework which the writer reveals the application of the theory
to answer the research questions stated in problem formulation.
2.1. Theory of Critical Approach to Literature
The reading process of literary works produces within the readers an array
of responses, taking the form of questions, statements, opinions, and feelings
evoked by text. This process will lead to the discussion process in literary works.
However, the readers need to comprehend the objective analysis in the form of
formal literary criticism. By mastering the concepts of formal literary criticism,
the readers can become critical readers who are able to understand and articulate
their own reactions and those of others to any text (Bressler 4).
According to Rohrberger and Woods (3–15), there are two kinds of
approach to literary works. The first approach is impressionist approach. It refers
to subjective responses to literary works. The readers response based on their
feeling. The second approach is the critical approach. It refers to objective
responses to literary works. In the literary research, the researcher applies critical
approach to comprehend the literary works deeply. The critical approach is
categorized into five approaches.
The first is The Formalist Approach. This approach focuses on the
importance to comprehend the total integrity of the literary object. The esthetic
value is the main concern. This approach tries to demonstrate the harmonious
involvement of all the parts to the whole by pointing out how meaning is derived
from structure and how matters of technique determine structure. The extreme
formalist critics merely the literary work without reference to the fact of the
author’s life, the genre of the places in which the literary object was created, and
reference to its social milieu.
The second approach is The Biographical Approach. This approach is used
when we want an appreciation of the idea and personality of the author to an
understanding the literary work. The critics of this approach emphasize that a
work of art is a reflection of a personality. Therefore, they attempt to learn as
much as possible about the life and development of the author and to apply the
knowledge to understand the literary work. It can be denied that biographical
material provides useful facts that could put the reader in a better position to
The third approach is The Sociocultural-Historical Approach This
approach believes that it is necessary to investigate the social milieu in which a
literary work was created and which is necessarily reflects. They assert two things
that literature is not created in a vacuum and the literature embodies ideas
significant to the culture that produce it. The examination is not only the literary
works of art itself but also the work in relation to others by the same authors in the
same periods. This knowledge might enrich the experience of reading.
The fourth approach is The Mythpoeic Approach. This approach is used to
discover certain universally recurrent patterns of human thought, which they
believe that they find some expression insignificant works of literary. The
recurrent pattern, they assert are those that found first expression in ancient myths
and folks rites and basic to human thought that they have meaning for all them.
The fifth approach is The Psychological Approach. This approach involves
the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. Unlike the
mythpoeic, the psychological approach draws on a different body of knowledge.
Sigmund Freud’s exploration area of the human mind came to a result. It is an
area of the wellspring of man’s rich imagination. His capacity for the creation, the
complexity of his thought, behavior, and the contents of this region of the mind
found expression in symbolic words, thoughts and actions.
Since there are two aspects in my study; socioculture-historical and
psychology aspect, the writer applies two different approaches in order to discuss
like to use the sociocultural-historical approach and the psychological approach to
analyze the Amy Tan’s NovelThe Kitchen God’s Wife.
2.1.1. The Sociocultural-Historical Approach to Literature
According to Welleck (94-109), Literature is really not only a reaction of
the social process but also the essence in the abridgment and summary of all
history. It represents life and a social institution which uses language as medium
presenting a social creation.
Literature also has a social function to describe the influence of society,
prescribe and judge the position of literature in society. It is an expression of
society. It means that literature depicts some aspects of social reality. An author
conveys historical and social truth through literary works.
However, the author is not only influenced by society. The author can
influence the society. People may model their lives upon the patterns of character
relied on the literary work. The characters of novel afford interesting indications
of such social attitudes. Basically, literature occurs in a social context as part of a
culture in a milieu.
There are three classifications of the relation between literature and
society. First, it is obvious that there is sociology of writer which is included in
the literary works. Second, there is a problem in the social content of literary
works. At last, the problems of the readers and social effects of literature. The
2.1.2. The Psychological Approach to Literature
The theories and practices of Sigmund Freud provide the foundation for
psychoanalytic criticism. He believes that a work of literature is the external
expression of the author’s unconscious mind. The literary works must be treated
like a dream, applying psychoanalytic techniques to the text to uncover the
author’s hidden motivation and repressed desires (Bressler 149–153).
According to Freud, an author’s chief motivation for writing any story is
to gratify some secret desire; some forbidden wish that probably developed during
the author was suppressed and dumped in the unconscious. By using Freud’s
psychoanalytic techniques as they are used in dream therapy, psychoanalytic
critics believe the reader can unlock the hidden meanings contained within the
story. Then the reader can have an accurate interpretation of the text (Bressler
159–160).
Basically, psychoanalytic criticism deals with a work literature primarily
as an expression, in fictional form, of the state of mind and the structure of
personality of the individual author. The work of literature is correlated with its
author’s distinctive mental and emotional traits: (1) reference to author’s
personality in order to explain and interpret a literary work; (2) reference to
literary works in order to establish, biographically, the personality of the author;
(3) the mode of reading a literary work specifically as a way of experiencing the
distinctive subjectivity, or consciousness, of its author (Murphy 263).
According to Welleck (81), psychology and literature is the psychological
the study of the psychological types and laws present within works of literature. It
is also the study in the literature effect upon its readers.
Psychology obviously can illuminate the creative process. For some
conscious artist, psychology may have tightened their sense of reality, sharpened
their powers of observation or allowed them to fall into hitherto undiscovered
pattern. Psychology help to uncover the author’s do with the literary works
(Welleck 90–93).
2.2. Theory of Motivation
Amy Tan’s novel The Kitchen God’s Wife reveals Winnie Louie’s motivation as a Chinese-American to preserve her Chinese Culture. This part will
describe the meaning of motivation based on some theories proposed by
psychologists.
According to Beck (24, 144-145) motivation is broadly concerned with the
contemporary determinants of choice (direction), persistence, and vigor of
directed behavior. Motivation is the grounds in characters’ temperament, desires,
and moral nature for their speech and actions (Abrams 24). It comes from the
wordmotiverefers to an inferred state of the organism which arouses activity and directs the organism’s behavior toward certain object or conditions called goals
(Aiken 110–111). Other psychologist Jung (4-5) defines that motivation must be
the forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior. The
concept of motivation is also used to explain differences in the intensity of
behavior. Additionally, we often use the concept of motivation to indicate the
direction of behavior (Petri 4).
Human are continually interpreting the complex pattern of behaviors they
observe in others as well as in themselves. We try to explain our actions in terms
of motives that are regarded as causes of behavior. Similarly we try to infer the
underlying motivational causes of the behaviors of others.
In the field of industrial psychology, a distinction is commonly made
between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic rewards. The intrinsic motivation refers
to factors that make certain activities rewarding in and of them. Almost anything
could potentially be intrinsically motivating for some individuals. Extrinsic
rewards refer generally to the kinds of reinforcement situations. It is reinforced by
some external agents. Other psychologist states that extrinsic reward is commonly
called extrinsic motivation (Weiner 257). The concept of intrinsic motivation is
defined as the value or pleasure associated with an activity as opposed to the goal
toward which the activity is directed. The extrinsic motivation emphasizes the
external goals toward which the activity is directed. It is possible two kinds of
motivation interact such that extrinsic motivation reduces the degree of intrinsic
motivation for a task (Jung 140).
Beck states that there should be an interaction of intrinsic motivation and
external rewards. If the individual sees himself as the causal factor for desirable
and desirable. On the other hand, if the individual sees his rewards as being
dependent on someone else, the activities necessary to get those rewards will be
intrinsically motivating. Weiner (257) also prove that there is a growing literature
documenting that children with initial interest in a task (intrinsic motivation) lose
some of that interest when an external reward (extrinsic motivation) is promised
for performing that task. Since most human activity is affected by a combination
of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, it would be difficult to study the effects of each
type of motivation separately (Jung 140).
According to Rogers and Maslow written in the motivational principles,
the core tendency of a person is to actualize individual potential. There is an
internal, biological pressure to develop fully the capacities and the talents that
have been inherited; the central of motivation of the individuals is to grow and to
enhance the basic self (Weiner 409).
Motivation theories start with the assumption that there is a cause for
every behavior. The goal is to identify the causes. Psychologists distinguish
between approach causes and avoidant causes. In approach behavior, people do
thing because of something they want, desire, or need. In avoidant behavior,
people do things to avoid something. From a biological perspective, two primary
goals of behavior are to survive and reproduce. If anything poses a threat to our
survival, we need to deal with it immediately.
According to the basic themes of contemporary motivation theories, all behavior
represents an attempt to adapt to the environment (Franken 3–5). Social
theorists have also pointed out that we are socially motivated. Social situations
have a large influence on our behavior because the presence of others alters our
motivation (Petri 5-6).
Related to the approach of motivation, the psychologists propose some
theories. One of the theory that is widely used in supporting the motivation
approach is Need Theory. Need Theory grow out of the idea that the energy, direction, and persistence of behavior are due to the existence of needs. Abraham
Maslow is perhaps one of the best- known need theory. He argues that the basic
psychological needs are associated with deficiency and higher-order needs with
growth. This is consistent with the distinction between approach and avoidant
motivation. In Maslow’s view, needs can be grouped in categories, which are
arranged in a hierarchical fashion (Franken 15–16).
Self-actualizati onneeds
Aesthetic needs:symmetry, order and beauty
Cognitive needs: to know, understand and explore
Esteem needs: to achieve, be competent, and gain approval and recognition
Belongingness and love needs: to affiliate with others, be accepted, and belong
Safety needs: to feel secure, and out of danger
Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, and so forth
These needs above can be strengthened through rewards. By coupling the
concept of need and reward, it becomes possible to incorporate the idea that
environment is important in shaping human motivation.
Rogers quoted in Franken’s book, Human Motivation (17) discusses the growth motivation in relation to the fully functioning individual, while Maslow
uses the term self-actualization to describe the motivation to strive for personal fulfillment. Related to the environment, the psychologist uses growth motivation
as the major construct the motivation. One aspect of growth motivation is the need
to control or have an effect on our environment. It is called effectance motivation by some andpersonal causationby others.
The hierarchy of needs is categorized into two major steps of motivation.
The first four steps on Maslow’s hierarchy isdeprivation motivation.It constitutes the needs that must be satisfied before one reaches the final level, the level of
self-actualization. In the self-actualization, the person is motivated by different
conditions than at the lower levels. It is motivated to grow and become all that he
or she is capable of becoming. Self- actualization constantly stimulates people to
test their abilities and expand their horizons in their environment. People will
actualize their principles that they believe in their society. It is the condition when
the growth motivation has been achieved. Based on the hierarchy of need, the
highest need’s concept; self-actualization concept will be used to observe the
2.3. Chinese Beliefs
According to the Hook (288) stated in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China, Chinese Beliefs divided into three categories namely Cosmology, Divination, and Ancestor Worship. The Chinese Beliefs are based on Sanjiao’s philosophies.Sanjiao (Three Dharma) is the unity of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. It was applied in the era of Han dynasty up to now (Matrisia Komda
Jateng 8-11).
2.3.1. Cosmology
China had one of the most highly developed cosmological systems in the
world until the Communist Revolution in 1949. There is more than one fraction of
systems. However, the most important of the many elements in the Chinese
Cosmological system was TheYingandYangdichotomy (Hook 288).
Yin was normally seen as the collective representation of all forces in the universe that emanate from the darkness.Yangwas the representation of the light. The Yin and Yang dichotomy followed from the basic division that aspects of human experience were often conceptualized as opposites. For instance: day-light,
life-death, good-evil, and male-female. The sexual dichotomy with its
unambiguous connotation of male supremacy was often used to justify the
suppression of women. In the traditional view of women are thought to be weak,
2.3.2. Divination
It was practiced in China from about 1700 BC. It was intended to discover
the answers of occult powers to simple questions that concerned matters of
everyday life or the immediate outcome of a proposed action. For example; the
changes of a good harvest, the choices of times for religious services, and the
success in the hunt of battle.
It was felt that only by taking such precautions could it be ensured that the
outcome of the proposed plan would be successful. There are three means in
pronouncing the results of divination (Hook 289-290):
a.Scapulimancy
It was the earliest method of divination. It was applied by heating the
shoulder bones (scapulae) of animals or the shells (plastra) of turtles to induce
random cracks in the material. The diviner could determine the outcome of a
proposed plan of action.
This method was applied in the Sang dynasty and used to ascertain their
future or answer their practical problems. The record of each act of divination was
inscribed on the bone and shells. They chose turtles; of regarding turtles were the
longest-lived animal represented the eternal truths. Divination by turtle shell was
practiced at least until the beginning of the 1stcentury AD.
b.Yijing(The Book of Changes)
It was a book that guided the seer to determine the given answer
intuitively. The book contained a wholly symbolical scheme of universal
The text provided a title for each of the 64 figures which guided to its
character and situations occur in the universe and repeat in cyclical fashion.
Divination with Yijing moved from an attempt to answer a specific problem to a means of ascertaining in which the 64 situations the inquirer chanced to be placed.
The enlarged The Book of Change reached its present form at about the start of first century AD. It was invoked both by diviners who intuitively sought
clarification to problems from its highly esoteric text and by scientist, who saw in
it a universal scheme of being means in comprehending the mysteries of creation
(Hook 290).
c. Geomancy
Geomancy is known as Fengshui. It is a means of divination intended to find the most suitable sites establishing a city, house and tomb. The Chinese have
regarded the earth as a living organism, comparable with other organisms such as
the human body.
The human body incorporates channels along which its life blood pulsates.
Therefore, it is thought that the earth included similar channels. It is described as
“the veins of the earth or “the veins of the dragon”. The parts of earth that are
favorably sited lie at points where such channels converge, bringing with them
natural blessings that enrich a living body. The benefits of channels are described
as qi, natural energies and the channels along which they pass are invariably winding. Forces of an evil nature (sha) make a direct approach to a site along a
Geomancy has depended on combining intuition with sophisticated
intellectual theories. The intellectual elements spring from the belief that man’s
fortune depends on accommodating himself to his natural surroundings and to the
eternal rhythms that regulate the movements of heaven, earth and man. In
assessing the value or quality of a site, a geomancer uses a highly intricate
compass, which shows how an individual’s circumstances (for example, date and
time of birth) coincide with such relationships and their influences.
Since the 11th century, geomancers have used a compass fitted with a
magnetic needle, but the antecedents of these instruments without such a device
date from 2ndcentury BC. By applying the geomancy, the building may be sited to
suit the major rhythms of earth and heaven (Hook 290-291).
2.1.3. Ancestor Worship
Reciprocity between living and dead is the key to this system of beliefs
which draws together many elements of cosmology and divination. For example:
the flow of good “winter and water” (fengshui) influences through the bones of
the ancestor is thought to bring prosperity to his descendants. The livings have the
awesome responsibility of sustaining the spirits of the ancestors and protecting
their graves. As long as the reciprocal relationships is maintained both the living
and dead benefited.
However, if the descendants neglected the spirit of an ancestor by falling
to make regular offerings at his grave, the ancestor would be cut adrift in the
become ‘hungry ghost’, a general term for spirit of dead people who did not have
any reciprocal relationship with the living.
There are two sides to Chinese ancestor worship; the domestic cult and the
lineage cult. The domestic side known as ‘family cult’ is concerned with
immediate ancestors who had died in the past five or six generations. The names
of these people are written on a large paper sheet which is kept on the family altar.
The list of names is the centre of all ritual activity in the family. On the other
hand, the lineage cult focuses on a group of generalized ancestors, most of whom
are no longer included on the domestic altars. In south China it consists of 40
generations. Ancestral hall are often magnificent buildings, ideally with three
large chambers and elaborate decorations. These ancestral halls are the most
visible symbol of lineage wealth and prestige.
For the majority of people throughout China, ancestor worship is restricted
to domestic cult. After few generations, most Chinese have a little reason to be
concerned with predecessors who had left only their memory (Hook 291-194).
2.4. Chinese-American in United States
The United States of America is a multicultural country with many ethnic
groups and races. Most of the citizens in the country are immigrants. The come
from many different countries. Although they come from different countries, races
and ethnics, they can live together. People come to America have a main purpose
Chinese is one of the ethnics that live in America. Many Chinese and their
generations of them have stayed for centuries in America. According to America
census, some 2.4 million Chinese-Americans live in America. Chinese immigrants
in America began with the arrival of thousands of Chinese miners in California
following the discovery of gold in 1848.
Many Chinese-Americans lived in the ethnic community known as
Chinatown. Some business and traditions can be found in that place. The largest
Chinatowns were in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.
Chinese- Americas have contributed to America culture in many different
aspects. Chinese martial arts, such asGongfuandTaijiquanhave become familiar to many Americans. Acupunture, the Chinese healing arts, is increasingly gaining
acceptance by mainstream Western medicine. Many Chinese-Americans are
Christians, but they still preserve their beliefs as traditions. They also celebrate the
Chinese New Year Celebration in many cities with the roar of blazing firecrakers,
lion dance, and traditional music (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2004).
2.5. Theoretical Framework
Theories are the basis for analyzing the novel. Based on the theories that
have been explained in preceding section, the researcher would like to draw up the
application of the theories in this theoretical framework.
Basically, there are two research questions will be discussed in this study
with different approach for each question. Since the first research question related
to sociocultural-historical aspect, the approach which are used to analyze the
second research question related to the psychology aspect, the researcher used the
Psychological Approach to discuss it.
After deciding the approach, the approach is used as a base to choose the
theories based on the approaches. The first question is related with the way how
Winnie Louie as a Chinese-American preserves Chinese Beliefs. The researcher
uses the portrait of Chinese-American life in America and the Chinese Beliefs
principles which are obeyed by Chinese-American. Based on the portrait of
Chinese-American and their Chinese Beliefs, the researcher uses it as a reference
and base to analyze the problems in the novel.
Having finished in analyzing the first research question, the researcher
goes to discuss the second research question. The researcher wants to get the
answer what motivates Winnie Louie as a Chinese American to preserve Chinese
Beliefs. Since the second research questions are related to the human motivation,
the researcher applies the psychological approach. The psychological approach
used in the literary work will sharpen the analysis in correlation between literature
and psychology aspects. The researcher applies Welleck’s theory in the relation
between literature and psychology.
Theory of motivation proposed by Maslow is highly used to discuss and
analyze the second research question related to Winnie Louie’s motivation to
preserve the Chinese-Culture in United States. Based on the theory of motivation,
there are seventh stages of needs. Needs are the reason which motivates someone
to do something. When someone has achieved the basic needs, he or she will go to
someone to preserve his/her principles, values, and culture. Since beliefs are
included in culture, the researcher uses self- actualization as main base to analyze
the second research question.
Based on the theoretical framework provided above, the study will be
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY
This part contains three parts, namely the subject matter, approaches and
research procedures. The subject matter explains the novel briefly and reviews of
the object of the study. Approaches discuss the Psychological approach and
Sociocultural-historical approach applied in analyzing the study. Research
procedures describe the milestones of method which are applied to accomplish the
analysis of the study.
3.1 Subject Matter
The primary subject of this study is Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife. The novel used in this study was published by Ballatine Books in 1991. The novel
is divided into 26 chapters. It contains 244 pages. It is a novel which is written by
Chinese-American writer, Amy Tan.
Amy Tan presented the tension that Asian-American women experience in
best-selling novels like The Kitchen God's Wife, which won the National Book Award in 1989. On the 9 July 1991, The Kitchen God's Wife crowned The New York Times best- seller list. The novel won enthusiastic reviews and spent eight
months on the New York Times best-seller list.
Basically the main theme of the novel is the relationship between mother
and daughter. The relationship is represented by Winnie Louie and Pearl’s life
experiences. Winnie Louie is a mother who ever felt the Chinese civilization in
China and then immigrated to America as a Chinese-American. Pearl is a daughter
who was born and grew up as Chinese-American in America. They have a
different background of life but they also have a similarity that is a
Chinese-American who lives in America.
However, the novel is not only about the relationship of mother and
daughter. The novel can reflect the portrait of social life as Chinese-American in
America. They live together in certain place called Chinatown. They do their
business in the form of family business. Although they have lived in America,
they still preserve their Chinese Culture. One of the culture dimensions they
preserve is Chinese Beliefs. Generally, there are three main aspects of Chinese
Spiritualism. They are Chinese Beliefs, Chinese Customs and Chinese Religions.
The writer would focus on the Chinese Beliefs which are reflected in the novel
obviously.
Chinese beliefs contains of three aspects, namely Cosmology, Divination
and Ancestor Worship. Those three aspects are mainly applied by Winnie Louie
in the novel. Winnie Louie as a Chinese American always bring along Chinese
Beliefs in her daily life. She also tried to introduce the Chinese Beliefs to her
descendants. She has a great motivation to preserve the Chinese Beliefs as a
3.2 Approach
According to Mary Rohrberger and Samuel H. Woods, There were five
approaches could be applied in analyzing the literary works. However, there were
two approaches applied in this study. The first approach was The
Sociocultural-historical approach. This approach was used to analyze the first research question
stated in the problem formulation. It was used to analyze the socio-cultural
historical background relied on the novel. This approach guided us to analyze a
novel in reference to the civilization that produced the novel. Civilization was
defined as the attitudes and actions as its subject matter. It was necessary to
investigate the social milieu, the cultural and historical background in which novel
was created (Rohrberger and Woods 9). This approach was applied to investigate
the social life related to the preservation of Chinese Beliefs in America.
The second approach which was applied in this study was the
Psychological Approach. The reason why the approach was used for analyzing the
second research questions in the problem formulation since the second question
was related to the theory of motivation, a branch of psychology theory. This
approach brought us to analyze the novel from the psychological point of view of
human beings (Rohrberger and Woods 9). The approach guided the writer in
analyzing what was the motivation of Winnie Louie to preserve Chinese Beliefs
3.3 Research Procedures
The writer used library research as the research method to gather the
primary and secondary data. It meant that the data were gained from taking notes
and analyzing the novel from the reliable data. The writer took some stages in
order to accomplish the study.
The first stage was choosing the novel as the primary data of the study.
The writer chose Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife as the primary data of the study. In order to understand the novel deeply, the writer read the novel for
several times. During the understanding process of novel, the writer could observe
the portrait of Chinese American social life in the novel. The main character of the
novel, Winnie Louie applied the Chinese Beliefs in her daily life. It made the
writer more focused on the Chinese Beliefs relied on the novel. After
understanding the novel, the writer found out the problems which could be
analyzed as it was formulated in the problem formulation. The writer was
attracted to analyze the way how Winnie Louie as a Chinese American preserved
the Chinese Beliefs and what motives Winnie Louie to preserve the Chinese
Beliefs.
The second stage was collecting some books and references supporting the
analysis and answers of the research questions. Since the subject matters of the
study were related to the culture and psychology, the writer collected some books
of Chinese American Society, Chinese Culture and Chinese Beliefs. The writer
also found some books explained about the psychology theory especially the
In the third stage, the writer emphasized on the Chinese’ ways in
preserving the Chinese Beliefs which was portrayed in the novel. The writer
discussed it based on the socio-cultural-historical approach. This manner was
applied in order to gather the accurate portrait of the Chinese American society
related to the subject matter in the novel. This result of the analysis played
important role in how the novel conducted Chinese Beliefs which was reflected in
the Winnie Louie as Chinese American.
In the following analysis process, the writer focused on the theory of
motivation in order to analyze the Winnie Louie’s motivation to preserve the
Chinese Beliefs. Based on the knowledge in the secondary data, the writer
discussed the second research questions. Theory of motivation was the base that
